Chapter Thirty-Five – School Daze
The day after the big game, most of the students got down to work. There was just over a week until final exams, OWL's, and NEWT's started.
Aaron and Arianna each had nine OWL exams to study for, while James had his ten third year exams. The rest of the third years in their two groups would have nine exams, and the first and second years each had seven.
The study pattern that Al, Rose, Nick, and Scorpius had used last year was pretty much what they did again this year, with the exception that Allie joined them for most of those sessions. Rose didn't see very much of Matt during the last month, since he needed to study with the other third year students.
Carolyn and Brianna were usually close by, and their second year friends would help them out if they had questions or problems with their own studies. The two girls had their own little study group too, but having four of the smartest students in the school right there to help them out was a big advantage for them.
James was working with Jon, Andy, and Therese late on the first Sunday night in June. Their first exam was in the morning, and it was already after eleven o'clock at night. He sat back in his chair and put his arms around his head.
"I think I broke my brain," he told the others, who laughed at him. "I've officially hit information overload."
Jon snorted. "Come on, James, it isn't that bad."
James shook his head. "For you, maybe. I'm to the point where I'm starting to get all of those potions mixed up with each other."
Andy closed his books, and stood up. "I'm with James. At this point, a good night sleep is going to help me more than staring at books for another couple of hours."
Jon looked at Therese. "What do you want to do?"
She smiled at him. "I'm going to keep going for a while – at least until I get too tired."
Jon smiled back at her. "You guys go ahead," he told James and Andy. "We're going to keep studying. I'll see you in the dorm later if you're still awake"
James went over to the table that Arianna was working at with a bunch of fifth years, and leaned in to give her a kiss.
"Goodnight, Arianna," he told her quietly. "I'm heading to bed and taking the chance that all of that potions information doesn't dribble out overnight."
She stopped studying long enough to give him a hug and another kiss, then was lost again in her work.
The next day at lunch, James and the other third year Gryffindors were comparing notes on how they did with the written part of their Potions exam. They had the practical exam after lunch – the part that always worried James.
"Stop worrying, mate," Andy told him. "You only blew up the potions lab three times this whole year."
James nodded. "It could be four by the end of today, but at least I did ok on the written."
Arianna laughed as she heard his comment when she came and sat next to him. "At least you aren't testing for your OWL's," she told them. "I don't think I'll have to worry about taking Herbology next year – I don't think you get an 'E' or above when you lose control of your test plant and it bites your examiner."
Therese gasped. "It didn't!"
Arianna nodded, but she was smiling. "She was very understanding about it, though. It's alright, I guess, Professor Longbottom is great, but I don't like the subject at all anyway. I certainly won't miss it next year, and can tentatively stroke 'Herbologist' off of my career list."
They had lunch together, and then James and the other third year students headed to the Potions lab again. James did not blow up the lab, but his potion exam also ended up looking more like jelly and smelled horrible. Since he did see Jon and Therese's finished potions, he knew that his had gone wrong, but had no idea what his mistake had been.
When that exam was over, it was nearly time for dinner, so they took their books back to their dorm, met up with Aaron, Arianna, and Tracey, and went down to the Great Hall.
Al saw James and the other Gryffindor New Marauders come in to the Hall for dinner, and could see by the look on his brother's face that his potions exam hadn't gone all that well, but since he didn't look singed at all, it probably wasn't as bad as James probably thought it had been.
His Charms exams had gone perfectly today, and he, Rose, Nick, and Scorpius were all sure they would earn 'O's' again this year. Carolyn sat next to him at the table, and told him all about her DADA practical exam. She and Brianna were paired together for their exam, and she thought they'd both done pretty well. Their shields and offensive charms weren't very powerful, but they did both correctly perform everything, and Professor Williamson had seemed pleased with their work.
Tuesday night, the second years were going to have their Astronomy exam, so Al and the others went to have naps after dinner before going to the astronomy tower after dark to study for that exam. Al kept his friends working for three hours before deciding that they'd all hit their limit for the night and letting them all go back to bed.
James was not napping Monday evening. He and Therese were studying for Arithmancy – the only two members of their little group who were taking that subject. Andy and Jon were working at the table too, but they were working on the DADA exams they'd be having on Wednesday.
He might be fairly indifferent to the subject, but James did have an aptitude for arithmancy, and was one of the top students in the subject. Tonight it was Arianna kissing him goodnight and going to bed, while he stayed up to study until nearly two, mostly helping Therese with her studies until she felt more confident that she was ready.
Arianna and James were both much happier by lunchtime on Tuesday. History of Magic was one of her best subjects, and she knew she'd done very well on her OWL. James felt the same about his Arithmancy exam. They decided as a group to take a couple of hours off to relax before jumping back into their studies.
While James and his friends were taking a break, Al was learning a lesson in how to juggle priorities – studying for his exam tonight, and helping his friends do the same, and comforting his upset girlfriend, who was sure she'd bombed her written exam for Charms. He knew she must have done great on the practical, since he'd worked with her, and with Brianna to come up with a pretty creative pineapple display for them to do.
He did somehow manage to do both during the rest of the day, but he was already tired out by the time the second year Astronomy exam started. Rose actually finished her exam before Al, if not by much, but he'd worked a little more slowly to make sure that he didn't make any dumb mistakes just because he was tired and bleary eyed. They were both sure they'd done great, though. He didn't wait up for Nick or Scorpius this time, and instead went straight to bed.
James was paired up with Jon for their DADA practical exam. They were one of the first pairs being tested that morning, and they were both ready. He knew he wasn't the powerhouse that his little brother was, but he was still the best in his year, and the exam was a breeze for him. Jon might be the quiet one of their group, but he was a pretty strong wizard himself, and made a good partner. When they were finished, they were both sure they'd receive high marks for their work.
This was a study day for Arianna and the other OWL students, and she, Aaron, and Tracey studied all day and late into the night for their Charms OWL's on Thursday. The first and second year students all had a study day too. Al and his second year study group spent the day getting ready for their Transfiguration exam, while Carolyn and Brianna had an easier day preparing for History of Magic.
James was in the common room, studying for his own Charms exam on Friday when Arianna came in, just back from the written part of her Charms OWL.
"How'd it go?" he asked her, getting up to give her a hug.
"Pretty good," she told him. "I messed up a couple of questions, but I'm happy with it."
"That's good. Ready to go get some lunch, and take a break before the practical this afternoon?"
She smiled and nodded. He closed up his books, threw them in his bag, and they headed down to the Great Hall. They checked in with Al and the others at the Ravenclaw table before going to sit down. His brother and cousins (he now included Scorpius in that designation) had all told them that they'd aced both parts of their Transfiguration exam. Carolyn and Brianna had both breezed through their History exam too. Now they all got a three day weekend to study for their next exams.
"I wish I had a three day weekend to study for Transfiguration," Arianna told James as they walked over to their table.
"I've got Care of Magical Creatures on Monday, so that won't be too bad to get ready for. It's Herbology and Divination that are going to be my tough ones next week."
She nodded. "I've got Divination on Tuesday. I don't imagine I'll do much better on it that with Herbology, though. It's not a prediction, just reality."
James laughed. "I think I can at least pass, but I haven't made a prediction all year that came true."
"Has anyone done it this year that you've heard?" she asked him.
James laughed. "No, but Professor Stimpson is still hopeful."
"Shouldn't she be able to use her own powers to see that none of us has a scrap of ability?"
"She probably can," James answered. "I guess it doesn't hurt to learn how it's all supposed to work, though. In a way, it's kind of like the History of Magic – even if you can't really do anything with it, it's probably still good to know about."
She smiled at him. "That almost sounded like you don't think it's a total waste of time anymore, James."
He grinned. "It does, doesn't it? Don't tell anyone, though. I've got a reputation to keep."
James had asked them if they'd doused all of the first and second year students with Felix Felicis to manage to score a three day weekend during exams. Al and the others had laughed at his brother as he and Arianna had left them to go over to their table for lunch.
That didn't mean that they could take it easy – on the contrary, they continued to study all day, and late into each night. Rose had her four friends ready for their Herbology exams by Monday, and Al and Scorpius had helped Carolyn and Brianna to be ready for their Potions exams too, and when they all went to bed on Sunday night, they were each confident that they were ready for their tests.
James felt burned out by the end of the second week of exams. He'd barely even paid attention to the passing of his fourteenth birthday. He vaguely remembered opening some presents, and a particularly great birthday kiss from Arianna, but other than that, they didn't have time to celebrate it – there was just too much work to do.
He'd done great on his Care of Magical Creatures exams, and pretty good on Herbology and History. When he'd finished his Divination, though, he was pretty sure that he'd be dropping that course for next year. If he passed, it'd barely be with an A, and he wouldn't be surprised to see a 'P' on his Hogwarts letter this August.
Arianna and Aaron were both sure they'd probably passed their Transfiguration, Divination, DADA, and Astronomy exams, but they didn't think they'd have the 'E's' or 'O's' they'd need on their OWL's to continue with either Divination or Astronomy next year.
Al had a busy week too. He, Rose, Nick, Scorpius, and Allie had all worked hard all week. The extra day to study Herbology had helped, and they all felt pretty good about both the written and practical exams. They were all strong in History and Potions, and those exams were easy compared with the grillings they gave each other as they studied.
Tuesday night, Al stayed up late with Carolyn, Brianna, and a few of their classmates, and did an Astronomy tutorial to help them prepare for their exam on Wednesday. The girls had been happy with how they did on their Potions exams, although neither of them fully completed the practical exam. They were both pretty good in Transfiguration, and were sure they'd done very well on both the written and practical parts of that exam.
The third years had two exams left for the last week of school, but the rest of the New Marauders only had an exam on Monday. Aaron, Arianna, and Tracey weren't taking Arithmancy or Ancient Runes, so when they finished their Potions OWL on Monday, they'd be done. James, Andy, Jon, and Therese had Transfiguration on Monday, and Astronomy on Tuesday, then were done for the year too.
Al and Nick were waiting outside of the DADA classroom. Rose and Scorpius were in there taking their exam now, and they were scheduled immediately after them. When their friends came out of the room, they both looked happy, but they didn't have time to discuss how it went.
Professor Williamson welcomed them, and told them to get into position.
"Mr. Weasley, please set the block of wood in the middle between you on fire. Mr. Potter, when he has succeeded, you will put it out."
The boys grinned at each other. This one was easy.
"Incendio!" Nick said confidently, and the block of wood caught fire immediately.
"Aguamenti!" Al answered, and watched as his fountain of water quickly put the fire out.
"Very good. Next, Mr. Weasley, shield. Mr. Potter, attempt to retrieve your opponent's wand."
Nick put his shield up, but he knew what was coming, and braced himself.
"Expelliarmus!" Al shouted, and Nick's shield blew apart, and his wand flew into Al's outstretched hand.
"Exellent!" Professor Williamson told them. Al sent Nick's wand back to him. "Now, since we all know that Mr. Weasley will not defeat your shield, please leave your shield down, Mr. Potter, so that I may see that your cousin can perform the disarming spell.
Nick performed the expelliarmus spell, but as the wand was about to reach him, Al shouted – "Accio wand!", and it turned around and shot back to his hand. Nick and Professor Williamson both stared at him, then grinned when he looked embarrassed.
"Sorry," Al mumbled, turning red.
"That's quite all right, Mr. Potter. I'm impressed. I wouldn't have expected that you could overpower a disarming spell with a summoning charm. Shall we continue?"
Both boys nodded, and the rest of their exam proceeded without any problems, and then they were finished, and done their exams for the year.
They had lunch with their Ravenclaw friends, and then Scorpius and Al gave Brianna and Carolyn kisses and hugs, wishing them luck on their practical exam for Herbology, then went outside to relax all afternoon.
Nick and Allie went off for a walk by themselves, and Rose was spending the afternoon with Matt, while he studied for his Astronomy exam.
That left Al and Scorpius to hang out together for most of the afternoon. They went outside and found a shady tree to sit under.
"Any idea what we'll be doing all summer?" Scorpius asked him.
"Not really," Al answered. "We're planning on getting together with the team at least once a week again this summer, and we'll probably have a workout in the mornings when we can." He thought about what else he knew about already.
"Rose's parents, and mine are going away for the first week of July to celebrate their twentieth anniversaries. They're going to the new resort that Megan's running – Marauders Escape. We'll have Aaron and Arianna staying with us that week, but they'll still be working during the day at the Institute."
"I didn't spend all that many days at Nick's house over Christmas, since we were on the island too. I hope everything will work out for all of us."
Al smiled at his friend. "Don't worry about that at all, Scorpius. Aunt Penelope and Uncle Percy really like you. If you thought the Christmas holiday was great, wait until you've spent a whole summer with our family."
Scorpius grinned too. "At least I'll get to see Brianna a lot more than last year. That's a definite plus."
"You're going to love Marauders Paradise too," Al told him. "I forgot to include that with what we'll be doing."
"Yeah, that's going to be pretty awesome too, from what I've heard," Scorpius agreed.
They talked quietly together for another couple of hours, enjoying the afternoon, then went to the Common room to wait for the girls to get back from their exam. When they came in, both girls looked happy.
"Are you happy because exams are over, or because you did well on your exam?" Scorpius asked Brianna.
"Both," she told him as she hugged and kissed him. "Especially since now we get three whole days to just hang out with our friends before going home."
The girls put their books away in their dorm, then they all headed for dinner in the Great Hall. Matt was the only one left in their little group that still had an exam left to take. The first and second year students were all done, but there were other exams for the third to seventh years on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Ravenclaw New Marauders made an early night of it on Monday. After staying up late every night for over two weeks, they were all more interested in catching up on sleep that sitting in the Common room and watching the older students study.
Tuesday was definitely a play day. They went down to the Quidditch pitch and goofed around on their brooms for a a couple of hours in the morning, then wandered around outside until lunch. They played GameWizard in the Common room for a while in the afternoon before again going outside to hang out. After dinner, they watched a little WWVN together, and enjoyed a little quality snuggling time.
James, along with the rest of the third years, joined the growing ranks of students that were finished their exams on Wednesday. The school grounds had students everywhere you looked.
He was out among them, taking a walk with Arianna in the morning. "It's hard to believe that we'll be going home on Friday, and starting work on Monday," he said quietly.
"Right now, I'm just glad exams are over, and we get a couple of days together," she answered. "Don't make too many plans with the rest of your friends. You owe me some serious 'us' time, Mr. Potter."
James grinned. "That definitely sounds like something we should go find someplace quiet to sit and talk about."
Arianna returned his smile. "The finding someplace quiet works for me. Talking is optional."
By the end of the afternoon, exams were over. The Common rooms that night were filled with students celebrating, playing, and relaxing. More than a few were finding quiet places to spend with boyfriends or girlfriends that, once summer holidays started, they wouldn't see as much, or might not see at all until school started again in September.
The end of year feast began with the announcement from Professor McGonagall that Hufflepuff had won the House Cup this year, and the Great Hall was sheathed in the Hufflepuff blazon for the evening, in honour of their achievement.
"Did you get packed up this afternoon?" Carolyn asked Al as the dinner started.
He nodded. "Yes. I'll just have a couple of things left to pack in the morning. You?"
"I'm done too. I don't know how most of the kids can leave it until morning and still make the train on time."
Al laughed. "Then get James to let you take a look in his trunk tomorrow night when we're back home. I doubt he even has it straightened out before it's time to start packing again for school in September."
Carolyn smiled. "This feels strange tonight. I'm looking forward to the holidays, but I'm also going to miss being here."
"There probably aren't that many of the other students that feel like that, but then, we probably have more fun here than they do."
"We definitely do," she agreed.
They talked with Rose, Matt, Scorpius, Brianna, and Nick during dinner. The first thing they did after the meal was to all go and congratulate Allie on the Hufflepuff House Cup win before leaving Nick in her capable care, and going back to the Common room. The three couples found seats in the crowded room, and spent the rest of the evening talking about the best parts of the past year, and the upcoming summer. Rose and Matt were the only ones still up when a smiling Nick returned.
"Good night, Nick?" Rose asked him when he came over to them.
"More like great, I'd say," he answered. "How 'bout you guys?"
Rose and Matt both grinned. "That answers my question," Nick said. "I've got to go pack yet, though, so I'll see you in the morning. Carry on with whatever you were doing, mates."
He heard his cousin and friend both laughing as he walked away, but he didn't look back.
The next morning, all of the students made the trek to Hogsmeade Station, and boarded the Hogwarts Express. There were tears from some of the older students who were leaving school for the last time, and a lot of excitement from all of the children that were looking forward to the summer holidays.
For some, the train leaving the station marked a beginning, for others, and ending. To the New Marauders, it wasn't a metaphor for anything like that – it was just a way to move along from one adventure to the next.